SEOUL, Dec 6, SPA -- North Korea said on Saturday itwould not recognise Japan at international nuclear talksstarting next week, further straining ties that have alreadybeen damaged due to North Korean agents kidnapping Japanese, reported reuters. decades ago. Impoverished North Korea will meet five regional powersincluding Japan and the United States from Monday in Beijingfor talks that will likely be the Bush administration's lastchance to advance a sputtering disarmament-for-aid deal. "We will neither treat Japan as a party to the talks nordeal with it even if it impudently appears in the conferenceroom, lost to shame," the North's official KCNA news agencysaid quoting an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman. Japan has said it will not join China, Russia, South Koreaand the United States in providing aid to North Korea unlessthe matter of its abductees has been solved, promptingPyongyang to say that Japan should be removed from thesix-country talks. North Korea regularly criticises Japan in its officialmedia for failing to pay what it sees as proper contrition forits 1910-1945 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill and seasoned North Koreannuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan on Friday wrapped up two daysof talks in Singapore trying to make progress in setting up asystem to verify claims the North made about its nuclearprogramme. Analysts said North Korea, sensing the Bush administrationmight be looking for a rare diplomatic success before leavingoffice in January, wants to squeeze last-minute concessions atthe six-way meeting in Beijing. Failing that, it will likely play a waiting game untilPresident-elect Barack Obama takes office. "We have a lot of work to do in Beijing," Hill said afterarriving in Seoul. Hill was scheduled to leave for the Chinesecapital on Sunday. "It doesn't matter what day of the week, they (NorthKoreans) are always issuing statements. I think it would behovethem to issue fewer statements and do a little more work interms of developing plans and ways for their country toprogress." The most recent snag for the often-delayed nuclear dealingshas been the North's reluctance to allow internationalinspectors to take nuclear samples out of the country fortesting. Washington maintains that Pyongyang is obliged to allowsuch tests. U.S. officials have said the North Korea hasproduced about 50 kgs (110 lbs) of plutonium --- enough forabout six to eight nuclear bombs. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/614301